When Captain Lawrence finally had to leave the Peter Iredale on the beach a few miles south of Ft. Clatsop Beach, he had only three things in hand: the ship's log, a sextant, and a bottle of whiskey. This was in October, 1906. A strong southwestern gale and strong currents brought the ship too close, and she went aground with no possibility of salvage, and her remains are in stark contrast to the smooth, flat sand on which we approach the steel frame skeleton. One of many wrecks associated with the entrance of the Columbia River, yet one of the few to have no loss of life except her own. In one reference, it is called a "singularly unexciting" shipwreck. In fact if the crew had waited for low tide, they could have waded ashore, although there was one fatality the next day when someone rowing around the wreck fell overboard and drowned. Special excursion train trips were organized to visit the area on Sundays, but after services, of course.
We from the Sea Bird came to visit the Peter Iredale in order to follow the footsteps of Lewis and Clark all the way. We decided if we were to follow their trail down the Columbia River, we should continue the last small segment to the Pacific Ocean. When we arrived, the first day of October was blustery, but no rain. People walking the beach faded into a mist, through which weak sunshine filtered its way. A long distance had been traveled, a lot of information heard and seen, and history goes on.
